Metallic rail-fastener.



v F. A. LESTER.

METALLIC RAIL FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I0, 1914.

Patented M11220, 1915.

FREDERICK A. LESTER, OF CHIGAGQ'ILLINOIS.

METALLIC RAIL-FASTENER.

isaeai.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2t 1915.

Application filed August 10, 1914. Serial No; 856,002.

- To all whom it may concern:

useful Improvements in Metallic Rail-Fasteners, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof. D

My invention has reference to an mprovedrail fastening, and has for its prlncipal objects theprovision of a novel sectional rail fastener,wherein the sections are of a self locking character so that the fastener as an entirety offers resistance against any tendency of the rail to spread.

Another object of my invention is to provide in a rail fastener an adequate means for retaining the fastener in place on the tieirrespective of any change in its relative po sition due to the crushing of the tie surface immediately under it, or to the loosening of the vertical spikes consequent to the change of position. A still further object is the provision of a rail engaging fastener composed of two separable sections having inclined locking portions located in the rail seat and,

through which the fastener is brought to tightly engage the rail in a manner to prevent any tendency of the rail to creep.

These, together with such other objects as may hereinafter appear, or are incident to my invention, I obtain by means of a construction illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of my improved rail fastener, with the rail removed;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a fastener illustrating another application thereto of one of the novel features shown in Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 4: are respectively plan and sectional views of the form shown in Figure 2.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, the numeral 10 indicates a tie, and 11 the rail formed with the usual base flange 12. In carrying out my invention, 1 provide a rail fastening composed of two sections A, B, each comprising a web portion 13 formed with a rail base engaging lug 14 and a depending side flange 15 adapted to take against one side of the tie 10.

That portion of the fastener intermediate thelugs 14 constitutes the rail seat 0 upon which the base flange 12 rests, and the sections are formed within this rail seat with oppositely disposed inner locking tongues 16 having inclined engaging faces 16*, the other meeting edges '17, 17 extending oppositely from the narrow ends of the tongues, being disposed in a parallel relation in the rail seat. From the description thus far made, it will be apparent that in bringing the sections togetheragainst the rail, they move one upon the other in the plane of the rail seat, the wedge shaped tongues 16 co-acting to bring the lugs in a tight engagement with the rail base flange 12 to effectually hold the rail against creeping.

A spike hole 18 is provided in each web 13 to receive a vertical spike 19, and, on the other side of the lug 14, its side flange is formed with an elongated slot 20 through which a transverse spike 21 passes at the lower terminal of the slot. In view of the locked relation between the sections A'and B, it will be obvious thatboth act to resist, as an entirety, any lateral strain exerted through the rail against one of the sections.

It iswell known that the fibers in that portion. of the tie disposed underneath a metallic fastener soon become crushed and disintegrated through the action of the elements and the weight of the traflic passing over it, forming a depression into which the fastener is forced. Consequently the customary vertical spikes have their efficiency as a holdingmedium considerably reduced since their heads would then have no e11- gagement with the fastener. By providing the elongated slots in the side flange, the heads of the spikes 21 engage the fastener at all times and irrespective of any change in its positioning, and as these spikes pass laterally through the tie at some distance from the disintegrated upper surface, they will retain a firm hold on the tie when the vertical spikes would work loose under the vibration of the fastener.

This feature is shown applied to the solid fastener D which is best shown in Figure 2, and in addition thereto, the side flange 15 is desirably provided with the laterally eX- tending toothed surface 22, which, while forming its own path in the side of the tie during any depression of the fastener, serves as a check against excessive play of the spike 2'7 a. a a 136,021

in the slot. sections and may also be similarly provided with such toothed surface if considered preferable.

The sectional fastener, particularly; may be easily and cheaply manufactured from a single metal blank, the cutting, bending, and

I punching of which may be done in practically a single operation. From the 'fo're going, theessential elements and features of the device, together with its simplicity and other, advantages thereof, will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art.

. Having thus. described my invention and illustrated its use, what l 'claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following 7 s A metallic i ail fastener comprising a horizontal Welo portion aifdfa vertical side flange formed with a slot and provided with aninn'ertoothed surface adjacent said slot.

2. A tie platejernbodying interlocking sections one' of said sections being formed With I a tapering groove located in the rail seat and having its end portion adjacent the spread end 'of the 'groovejdfepressed to provide a transversely disposed side flange, and the other of the sections being pr'm'ided with a substantially Wedge-shaped tongue to lock in said groor e and a depending side flange forming an extension ofthe tongue and a'dapted'to coincide with the other side flange when the sections are brought together in the plane of the rail seat, and

V separateclamping"elementsfor securing the I sections to the tie. f

3. A tie plate embodying interlocking sections adaptedvtointerlock 1n the rail seat and each having depending side flanges whose .i'nner marginal edges coincide when the sections are interlocked, said depending flanges being formed with vertically elongated slots for the reception of separate clamping elements, all constructed and arranged so as to permit the side flanges to move vertically upon each other under relative movement of the sections and guide the interlocked sections to their normal position.

A tiepnre embodying interlocking sections formed from a single metal blank of substantially rectangular shape, one of said sections being formed with a groove in the rail seat and having a depressed side flange located to one side of the groove and the other section being provided with a locking tongue for said groove and a side flange extending downwardly from said tongue to coincide With the other side flange when the- Copies of this patent may he obtained for fi ve cents each, by addressing the commissioner of fahants.

' Washington, D. C. 

